


Go Away.

by Zorthain



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, I am so proud of this website it's like we're all on drugs, I did most of this instead of my homework be grateful., I don't like messing with the universe but oh well., Multi, So many tags I'm surprised you're still reading, Sorry Not Sorry, There is a ship for Erwin Smith and Snoop Dog
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-07 12:37:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3173956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorthain/pseuds/Zorthain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You don't have to hide in there all the time you know. They're wrong about you." The voice faltered a little, before continuing, slower now. "I'll bet they're only jealous. Really. The last words I would attach to you would be ugly."<br/>It wasn't normal to hear voices coming out of nowhere, she was quite certain of that much. It was even less normal for someone to act like that though, specifically in such a public area, where anyone could hear it. Whatever the case, she was frozen with her gym shirt halfway over her head in the girls bathroom, listening intently for another sentence.<br/>"I'm serious, you're beautiful," the voice said, before she heard a stall door to her left open and slam shut, leaving only the constant chatter of the other girls to fill her mind.</p><p>----------------</p><p>Rated M for swearing, rape-y feeling moments, and a whole lot of bad puns. </p><p>~Zor</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. History

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so firstly, thank you for checking out my little-not-little series here c:  
> Firstly.5, this is going to be a long and ridiculous note section, viewer discretion is not advised because I hate those disclaimers, but reminder this is for explaining things. It's pretty monotone and bland.  
> Secondly, yes, this is based on my personal experience, no, this has not happened to me. But yeah, I do somewhat ship the idea of Krista and Ymir, and I think you already know exactly who was talking in the summary. It is going to have some interesting twists in it I hope, or at least the twists part, I guess the interesting half is how well I pull them off. And I'm warning you now, it is most likely going to be emotionally disturbing, and there is going to be some uncertain rape-y-feeling moments (though no actual rape) and some very strange parts that may either confuse you or make you think it's fantastic. Needless to say I probably have some explaining to do in the next few chapters, and I'm definitely not going to remember to edit this later if I remember it later, so yeah that's out of the way.  
> In a few words; read at the risk of being turned upside down and backwards emotionally.  
> Thirdly, it's an alternate universe, which I don't, for the most part, like too too much, but I'm going to try something out of my comfort zone this time.  
> Please excuse cheesy puns and corny moments.  
> If it makes you feel better, I can heat up the scenes and make popcorn (see there's a pun already).  
> And lastly, if you have ideas, comments, thoughts, criticism, or literally anything including an alcoholic hedgehog (Those are the most fun commenters) just leave a comment down below, and enjoy the read!  
> Thanks for putting up with my rant, this is going to be one hell of an interesting thing to explain to my grandmother who is reading over my shoulder!  
> Also yes I made up a last name for Ymir, it's Oshiro. Kthxbai.
> 
> Yours, now and never again from the notes most likely because my memory is worse than that of a pigeon,  
> ~Zor :3

If there was one thing that killed her more than schoolwork, it was the lack of sleep. She wasn't sure how many days it had been, four, teetering on a maybe-five. Honestly she didn't really care much anymore, all she wanted was to rest. She pulled her covers even tighter and flopped onto her other side, trying to avoid looking at the clock out of fear that it was too late, (or really, early,) to keep trying. The few glints of sunlight that made it through her curtains did not help her focus.

6:27 A.M.

 _Fuck_.

It was too cold for her to want to get out of bed, but all the same, she dragged herself out. The only coherent thought that could cross her mind right now was something along the lines of _at least it's Friday,_ before she slid her feet into her slippers and padded her way downstairs.

She was greeted by the smell of toast and eggs and some other breakfast food she couldn't pick out, and her thoughts wandered aimlessly around the scene. She picked up a plate and started putting food on it from right off the top of the oven, and went to sit down when she was suddenly interrupted. 

"...Krista!" She was caught off guard as her father's face looked into focus a few feet away. 

"What??-" she stammered, taken aback.

Her dad raised an eyebrow. "You seemed like you were spacing out there. Did you sleep well?"

"Of course I did da!" she snapped. "I'm not a little kid who you need to put to bed every night."

"Really? So why did you take a raw egg out of the frying pan to eat?" 

"Huh?" She looked down and noticed the whites were running into her toast. That shouldn't be happening at least. She glanced away too embarrassed to respond.

Her dad was laughing now. "It's alright, I'll just make them scrambled," he replied cheerfully, taking the plate back from her and scraping it back into the pan. Of course, on the other hand, he was always cheerful. "It'll still be a few minutes though, so why don't you make yourself busy and empty the dishwasher?"

"Alright." Krista avoided eye contact with him as she shuffled over and began unloading plates. Trying to kill time, she stacked them neatly according to size and colour, lined the cutlery up in little rows, and rearranged the patterns six times over. She looked up at the clock to see how long it had been after putting down the last spoon in the line. 

6:34

Groaning inwardly, she gave up and swept them into the drawers, then moved the dishes and cups to the cabinets.

It seemed like it was going to be a very long day. 

Setting down the eggs on the table, her da motioned for her to come and sit down. She plopped into a chair, and got a grunt from her little brother across the table, already wolfing down what was on his plate. Why he was rushing so much was a completely different question, considering they still had an hour before they even needed to leave the house. He scraped the last bits into his mouth before expressing a hurried  _thanksdadgottago_ and running out the door, his clothes surprisingly prim and proper, but his backpack slung messily over his shoulder.

"What's with him?" she asked, lifting to gesture at the door with her fork.

Her mother shrugged from behind the paper she was reading. "Who knows. He's fourteen, turning fifteen soon. Heaven knows you were worse when you were that age, sneaking out of the house at the most ridiculous hours.." She winked at her. "Niko! Be careful!" she called out after him.

"I will mom!" came a muffled reply from down the hallway. The door slammed shut behind it.

Krista could feel her ears turning red. "That was one time!" she exclaimed. "And anyways, it wasn't so abrupt." She leaned in to the table and hissed, "Did you see how he was dressed? It's like he's got a job interview!"

"Maybe he has," her father said between a mouthful of toast. "It wouldn't be bad for him," he added, spraying crumbs on the table.

"Roy! Don't talk with your mouth full!"

Leaving her parents to bicker over spilled milk ( _literally_ ), she swallowed the last of her food before hightailing it up the stairs to her room. She very carefully closed the door and made sure it was locked before taking off her shirt and dingy grey shorts. Her naked form in the mirror caught her eye for a second, and she quickly looked away, pulling on a bra.  _Ugly._ She picked out a light blue shirt that said  _Stohess High_ on it, then yanked her legs into a pair of black jeans that flared loosely around the ankles, chancing a look back at the reflection.

Blue shirt, shiny blue eyes, shoulder length blond hair, and a pair of black pants. Plain. Simple. If she didn't smile she felt like she actually looked good. She tried a flimsy grin on, but the edges crinkled here eyes and made her cheeks look pudgy and babylike. She wiped it off and quickly reverted to her regular scowl.

There. That looked a whole lot better.

She pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail and unhooked her jacket from the doorknob. Grabbing her bag from where it was strewn by the wall, she raced down the stairs, flying by the kitchen on the way out. 

"Hey I thought you said something about leaving too early!" her mother chided. The only response she got was a hough as Krista ran past and made a beeline for the door. "Have a nice day!" she called, but the door had already slammed shut.

"Do you believe them?" she scoffed, looking at her husband. "I don't know where they get off brushing me off like a flea."

"They're kids Marria," he said. "They'll grow up."

*     *     *

This was the last time she was going to come to school by bike. That was all Ymir could think as she locked it in place and sprinted up the stairs and through the doors. Of course, the one day she had a class at the opposite end of the school was the day her chain literally snapped in half. Admittedly, it had been thoroughly rusted for years now, and admittedly she'd been meaning to get it replaced, but it was one of those things where you thought about doing it, then never did it, because it wasn't a necessity.

Until now of course.

She checked her watch, 7:56. Damn. From the past, she knew that Ms. Brzenska had a nasty habit of locking the door if you were late. 

She whistled past classroom after classroom, a lot of which were already starting, and slid down a hallway into a shortcut. Normally this area would be swarming with teachers who would happily spring on her and give her at least a week's worth of detentions, but she was so late that by now it was deserted. That wasn't a comforting thought. She was so busy trying to get to class on time she completely missed Auruo as she turned a corner and slammed right into him, sending him sprawling.

" _Shit,_ Auruo, what the fuck I've got a class to get to!" she shouted, then realized he wasn't alone. Sitting beside him was a short, strawberry-blonde type girl who was looking concerned. Ymir gave them an inquisitive look. From what she remembered, Auruo didn't have a girlfriend. And she'd have been the first to be bombarded by his text messages if he did, considering how close they were.

Auruo was holding his hand to his mouth. "Unhggg, the freaking hell Ymir. You're the one yelling at me? You just about made me cut my own tongue out!" 

"Are you alright?" the girl asked. Ymir realized she looked more amused than concerned. "That really is what you get for flapping your jowls so much."

" 'M fine Petra. Just get up and go to class." He pushed himself to his feet and began to walk down the hallway, attempting to imitate some kind of swaggering gait, and falling on his ass.

"You really are hopeless aren't you," she snorted at him, before pulling him up by his arm and continuing down the hallway, her hand resting in the crook of his elbow. "See you later Ymir!" she called out after her.

 _How does she know my name?_ Sighing, she started jogging down the hallway again, and stumbled through the door just as the bell rang. She slid down into the closest seat and waited for class to begin. Grinned even, when she noticed no one dared sit next to her.

"Alright, settle down." her teacher said, as she walked out of her office to the door. She closed it, and an audible click echoed through the room. Ymir exhaled in relief and slouched even further down in her chair, pulling out her notes. She idly twirled her pencil between her ring finger and her thumb before leaning over and taking out some extra paper, feeling strangely organized.

Despite feeling organized however, she was definitely not feeling focused. She stared out the window for a minute, then looked back at the door and jumped in surprise. Standing with her face practically pressed against the glass was Krista Reiss, which made no sense at all. Krista Reiss was a good girl, a cutesy short blonde type, who probably even had her parents drive her to school more often than not. She wasn't late. Hell, Ymir wasn't even certain she knew what the definition of late. Pretty little face, pretty little mind. Wrinkling her nose, she tried to look away, but couldn't quite fully tear her attention to the board.

Her classmate was now staring intently at her from the hallway, and Ymir shifted uncomfortably. She could feel her gaze piercing through the back of her head. Something about her face pleaded with her. Groaning inwardly, she leaned back and unlocked the door when Ms. Brzenska wasn't looking.

Krista opened the door cautiously and closed it behind her without a sound. Practically tiptoeing, she sat down next to Ymir and gave an exasperated sigh. She reached into her bag, and carefully picked out a pencil before hunching down over her papers. Ymir mentally commented on how long and slender her hands were for such a short stature. 

Putting her pencil down, she stared blankly at the board, trying to figure out what in Jesus fucking Christ's name they were doing. It looked like math, except there were no actual numbers in it, and math generally had at least a few of those. While she was busy trying to decipher the symbols, she felt a poke in her side.

 _"What?!"_ she hissed as quietly as she could. Krista was holding out a piece of paper and looking at her with more puppy-dog eyes. " _Ugh, fine."_ She took the paper out of her hands and unfolded it.

_Why'd you let me in? I didn't really think we were friends._

_Neither did I dimwit,_  she thought,but didn't actually write it down. Instead she decided on writing  _Because I do what I want, and you were being annoying._

No sooner had she passed the square of paper back did she feel another poke at her ribs.  _Ok then. I assume you roll your pencil between your ring finger and your thumb for the same reason, (or at least the first part of it)? Because that's a pretty weird habit._

Ymir reread the words over a few times, dumbstruck, before scribbling back.  _It's not weird, I just hurt my index as a kid and it doesn't bend quite right. Also how the hell did you notice?_ She flexed her finger to demonstrate before giving her the note again.

_I'm observant. And yeah, I guess it is a little crooked now you mention it._

_That's a much weirder habit than me rolling my pencil between two different fingers. Do you go stalker mode on everyone or something?_

_No. I just thought it was weird._

_What's really weird is how thin your hands are in proportion to the rest of your body._

_HA! So you're weird too!_

_Am not._

_Are too._

_This is childish. We should be payin--_

"If you're having trouble understanding, why don't we ask Ymir to explain it to us then Jean?" Ms. Brzenska said casually.

"Uh..?" She looked up from the set of notes she was messily scrawling across the paper to the board and back, before answering. "To be honest, I'm not even certain what class this is anymore ma'am."

She got a dull stare and a chorus of laughter before her teacher quieted the class. "Very funny Oshiro. You're in History. Now back to the topic at hand, before I was so rudely interrupted, we were looking at law from today in comparison to the 1700's I believe.."

Sighing, Ymir crossed out her previous line and continued scribbling hastily on the paper. She didn't really give a damn about how the laws used to work.

Another poke in the ribs.  _You sigh a lot don't you?_ _  
_

_Shut up._

 *     *     *

"You lucked out like hell!" Jean said as he passed by her desk. 

Ymir smirked at him while packing up her stuff. "I wouldn't say being able to think quickly is lucky." She houghed a little. "Besides, y'know, the fact it was unintentional, but it ended well."

Jean snorted. "Yeah right. Minor details." 

"Like you would have done better, horse-face! The only person who would have been able to answer without even looking at the board is Arlert," she said, scowling at him.

"T-that's n, not neces-ssarily true.." Armin stammered, but Ymir shut him up.

"Please." she said. "You could jack off throughout literally every class, not turn in any work, and  _still_ get straight A's somehow." She zipped up her bag and waved at Krista on the way out. She got a tiny nod and a smile back, before Krista suddenly looked mortified and went back to her poker face. Weird.

"So then," Jean said, moving close to her ear in the hallway so no one else could hear him, "got yourself a little note-friend, haven't you."

"Shut it Captain Kirkstein."

Jean sniggered. "Little more than a note friend I see then? Unless you've started using my I-hate-you nickname all the time now."

"I said shut it horse-face!" she shouted.

"Alright," he grinned, "but don't come asking me for help as a wingman." He winked at her.

"I do  _not_ have a thing for fucking Krista Reiss. Get off my back."

"Do too! Hey Connie..!" he said, peeling away from her. Ymir checked her schedule, then headed off down the science corridor. At least she'd be able to vent somewhat to Auruo about how wrong Jean was.

Or she would have, if that dumb girl hadn't been sitting next to him, in  _her_ spot. Sighing, she walked across the room and plopped down in a window seat, only to stare out of it for the next hour and a half 'till the bell rang.


	2. Sunday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short-ish chapter, I just had the idea and did it quickly, so yeah :3  
> Also, to specify, they live in OUR WORLD. REPEAT, THERE ARE NO TITANS. I used the word once here and I want to avoid confusion.
> 
> ~Zor

 Sundays were always a drag. Technically it was Sunday at least. The same bare patch of ceiling had become rather dull to look at sometime in the past ten minutes, so she turned onto her side instead. She could probably have drawn an accurate diagram of her ceiling, down to every last bump and scratch. Including the large dent from when she'd just about fractured her skull jumping on the bed.

She pulled out her phone, 2:19 A.M. Even if she'd wanted to sleep it was pointless; if she wasn't so dead tired that she could fall asleep everywhere, then she wouldn't be able to fall asleep anywhere. 

But at least this was generally the time of day she liked best. It gave her enough time by herself to sort out her thoughts.

Of course, that could also include browsing Facebook on her iPod.

She was currently stalking her brother, to confirm her growing suspicions he had found himself a girlfriend. Sure enough, it was loaded with pictures of him and some tall brunette. Or well, she was petite, but in comparison to Niko, she was a titan. To be fair, Niko himself was built like a twig, he had a small amount of bulk in his legs from playing soccer and broad shoulders, but that was about it. The contrast between their facial features was also a bit of a clash. Auburn eyes and tan skin versus pale, pale, pale and bright grey-blue irises.

She was so absorbed in analyzing this girl that she jumped a solid five feet when her phone beeped. Twisting her arm around a post and pulling herself back up on the bed, she looked at the name.

It was from Ymir.

"Hey," she'd texted. "What keeps you up so late today?"

"Oh, you know."

"No, I don't. You're tired enough in classes, you should sleep more." Krista was visualizing Ymir scowling at her on the other end.

She replied very bluntly. "It's not really your business, just saying Ymir." 

"A lot of things aren't my business. It doesn't really affect me anymore, whether that's a good thing or a bad one." There was a hint of underlying smugness in the comment. "Let me guess, since you're always so tired in class apparently which I'm going to assume after only really noticing it one day, and we didn't have much homework the last few weeks, there's no excuse for you staying up, am I right?"

"No, and I wouldn't tell you if you were!" she texted back angrily.

Ymir totally ignored it anyways. "Or, the other more likely option is you have insomnia, plain and simple."

She wasn't sure how to respond to such an accurate explanation so she remained silent. 

"I'm sorry, I read into it too much. That must have been creepy."

"No, it's fine. Most people I'm really close to don't even know that though. Almost no one even knows my name! And if they didn't notice then how did you?"

It took a minute before Ymir responded with a simple "I guess I'm just observant too." Krista couldn't tell if she was being serious or sarcastic. Probably somehow both. "And the hell is that supposed to mean? It's Krista Reiss isn't it?" 

"That's also irrelevant."

"Why are you so private?"

"I dunno, why are you so nosy?"

A gap was formed in the wall of messages before Ymir replied.

"Screw this. I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Alright, goodnight Ymir." she texted back, even though a very large part of her brain shouted it was anything but alright.

 


	3. Morning, Evening, and Vomiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Levi is introduced to the story. Agh I wrote this in the car have fun I think I'm actually gonna throw up now.

Ymir rolled over and tried to slap the snooze button. She missed, and fell to the floor instead. Groaning, she just pulled the blankets down with her and curled up, trying to ignore the beeping. It felt like someone had filled her lungs with lead, and she was having difficulty breathing. She sat up a moment to turn off the alarm, but ended up instinctively bolting for the toilet as a wave of nausea washed over her. Her mother was too hungover to notice the retching coming from the bathroom.

Wiping the corners of her mouth on her sleeve, she wobbled dangerously over to the mirror and stared at herself, before vomiting again into the sink. There was no way she was going to school with gastro. She smirked at a picture of herself trying to bike without a chain and throwing up all over the place. She really should have had that fixed over the weekend.

Hobbling down the hallway, she walked into her mom's room and stared at her. Her carrot-orange hair was a mess, and she - no, the whole room, reeked of booze. Her mouth was open and she drooled on the bed in an almost peaceful manner. She would have been pretty if not for the heavy layers of makeup on her face.

Ymir shook her, and got no reaction. She poked her and blew in her ear, but she didn't so much as flinch.

_Alright. I can work with this._

She picked up her leg and put one of her feet in her mouth. That seemed to get some reaction as her eyes flew open and a muffled scream echoed around the house.

"Hey, fucktard," she said, wiggling her toes. "Wake up."

Her mother chomped down on her foot and spat it out, wailing, but Ymir just shoved it back in. "What the fuck is going on Ymir?" Her twin brother appeared in the doorway, slurring his words together in an unpleasant manner. His new girlfriend came lumbering after him. There were dark grey bags under both their eyes, and their hair was rumpled suspiciously.

"Oh, so you're finally home then Levi. And look, you've brought another fuckbuddy." The comment earned a glare from her twin. Her foot was beginning to ache, and their mother was making an unholy noise, but she held the pose a few moments longer for effect.

"Her name is Mikasa. And yes, I'm home." His voice was cool as steel for the situation he was in. "Could you give us a moment please?" he said, turning around and looking at her. There was a sound like a plunger being pulled from a toilet and her foot was back on the floor.

"Course babe. I'll make us something to eat," she said, giving a disgusted look at the weeping figure on the bed.

"Thanks," he said, smiling at her as she disappeared down the hallway. He turned back to face her before speaking again. "Was all that really necessary?" he asked.

Ymir shrugged. "I just lost my breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I needed her to make a call. She wasn't responding, so I made sure she wasn't dead."

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. "You couldn't have been less violent about it?" His sister stared back at him with dead eyes. He gave an exasperated sigh before caving. "Alright, alright, fine, she wasn't waking up and you could have done something less violent but it wouldn't have worked. I get it. Just be quieter next time." He turned around then paused. "And she isn't a fuckbuddy, we haven't even had sex yet."

"Right. And what caused this major change of attitude?"

He hesitated a moment, before answering quietly. "I'm going to try this time. No more bringing home every girl I can get drunk enough, promised."

Ymir scowled at his retreating figure, then turned back to her mom on the bed, who seemed vaguely aware of where she was. Probably had already forgotten the whole foot incident. How in hell's name she had supported them for sixteen years she didn't know, but prostitution was likely to be a part of it.

She poked her again with her knee."Hey, ma. Call the school. I'm sick."

Her mother picked herself up a little. "Isn't it still Saturday?" The words came out garbled together. Her hair fell forwards in front of her eyes and bits caught in her mouth. Ymir didn't have time for any kind of response besides a roll of the eyes before she had to sprint to the bathroom again.

The smell of coffee downstairs wasn't helping her already tender stomach, but she went down anyways. Their kitchen was a mess, bits of cereal and crumbs were everywhere. There was different boxes of somewhat edible stuff strewn across the table, and Levi was sitting at the centre of the havoc eating a bowl of Fruit Loops.

"Where's your girlfriend?"

"I told you," he deadpanned, "her name is Mikasa. And she went to get some paper towels," he added, gesturing towards a large coffee spill.

She raised an eyebrow. "Did you tell her we don't own any and that we normally use toilet paper for any kind of spills?"

"Maybe." Levi looked away.

"I just need a bucket, ok? I don't wanna hurl all over my schoolwork."

To which Levi snorted, causing milk to come out of his nose. "Right, says the solid 70s student. Last I remember, your best mark was in English, and it was 84." He mopped at his nose with the corner of his sleeve.

"87. At least I try, instead of only dragging through high school so I can join the military." Her brother scoffed, before returning his attention to his food.

She reached under the sink and pulled out a large bucket. It was hot pink, and badly dented, but there were no holes she could see. She clanked up the stairs and back to her room, where the alarm was still beeping. Slamming the off button, she set a second alarm for noon so she could fix her bike chain, flopped down onto the bed, and drifted off to sleep amidst a swarm of angry thoughts.

*     *     *

Someone was pounding at the front door. She groaned and looked over at the digital clock next to her bed. It was well after five. She had only gone back to bed at about four. Had been too tired to even get changed. She was in the same pyjamas she'd woken up in, (that had gotten some weird looks from people in the bike shop, but not as many as the bucket had,) and her head throbbed angrily. Flecks of dried puke were still stuck to the corners of her mouth, but she didn't really care.

She pulled herself out of bed and walked to the door at the end of the hall. Pulling it open, she peeked around the door, expecting either an already drunken Levi, or some kind of advertising thing.

Instead, she got Krista Reiss.

"Krista?" she said, her eyes widening, then narrowing again. "How the hell did you know where I live?"

"I asked Jean." She answered nonchalantly, as though it was perfectly normal to show up at someone's house without notice. "I know I barely know you, but I guess I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Well," Ymir began, gesturing to the bucket, "as you can see, I'm pretty fucking sick, and it might be best to keep your distance."

Krista laughed. "Please. My immune system is fantastic. I haven't been sick in years and I don't intend to be anytime soon."

"Oh." Ymir wasn't sure what to do. "Uh, I mean, it's chilly, right, and, uh, you wanna come in?"

"Sure, although it's practically spring." She giggled, then stopped abruptly when the door was fully open.

"What happened to your face?" she asked, then blushed furiously, "I mean, like, the--"

"Yeah, I know." Ymir grinned at her embarrassment, then gestured to the line of angry red welts. "Remember how my bike chain snapped?"

"Uh, no?"

"Right, sorry, forgot you weren't there. I fixed it earlier, kind of, and I was pulling off the old chain--"

"Wait, you were fixing it when you're sick like this?" She stopped pulling off her shoes a moment to stare at her.

"Yes, now shut up and listen," she said, clearly irritated. "It was kind of rusted to the gears, and when I pulled at it, it didn't come initially come, so I pulled again, except this time much harder, and it smacked me in the face."

Krista's eyes widened, and not bothering to yank off her last shoe, she pushed her way past, making a beeline for the nearest door.

"This is the garage?"

"Next one."

She twisted the handle and pulled it. Inside, there was a beat up Chevrolet, and a bike that looked like it had been hastily rearranged after each piece was put through a blender. The frame was dented in several places, and it looked more rust than metal.

"Oh my god Ymir please tell me you don't ride this," she said, looking at her with wide eyes. Ymir responded with a slight nod. "You're going to get fucking tetanus!"

"It's fine," she assured her. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me--"

"No." She responded in a stern tone. "Go back inside. Lie down. Do something. I'll be there in a minute," she said, looking over the bike again.

"Alright." She didn't dare disobey her. Something about how she was talking made her think it would be a bad idea. Walking back to the kitchen, she sat down in a chair and plunked the bucket on the floor. It stank of bile and she reeled back upon catching a whiff. Krista came in soon after.

"Where are the towels? Or, better yet, do you have any rags?"

Ymir shook her head. "Nothing."

"What about Windex? Or a wrench? Pliers?"

She stayed silent, then said "If it helps, I got the chain off with some hedge cutters."

Krista threw her hands in the air before turning around. "Wait there," she said, gesturing wildly with her hands. "Like, right there. Don't even move. I'll be back in ten minutes." Before she could even nod, she'd run off down the hall and the door had slammed behind her. Ymir sat, stunned at what had just happened, then put her head down on the table.

*     *     *

She woke up to the calloused hands of Levi shaking her.

"What's with the girl here?" he asked. "I really hope she's your friend because I have no clue who she is."

"Uh..?" She yawned. "Who?"

"Little blonde chick. Been running in and out of the house since I got back."

Ymir dragged her feet out from under the table, and staggered to the garage. She poked her head through the door, before her jaw practically hit the floor.

Her old bike was gone. In its place was something that was exactly the same but so different. It was grey, grey like the sky before sunset, and almost no hints of rust remained. She'd never thought of that colour as pretty before. There were thin black lines painted on the side, growing in thickness until they wrapped around the base of the frame. Everything was bright and new looking, but some of the old scrapes remained. In front, gears, wrenches, and screwdrivers of all types were scattered. Off to the side, some kind of welding set was lying on the floor. And in the midst of it all, stained black from oil, Krista Reiss was sitting, admiring her work.

She turned around, and in that moment Ymir lost her balance, tumbling down the short set of stairs.

"Oh my god, are you alright!?" she said, biting her knuckles and scampering over.

"I'm... fine," she said weakly. "Except I think I'm hallucinating."

"I know, right?" The other girl had a smile from ear to ear. "I replaced some parts, I hope you don't mind. I also repainted it, and scraped off the rust, it was actually just a thin layer on top, and--"

She was cut off as Ymir pressed her hand to her mouth and hugged her tightly. "Thank you. So much." She coughed, refusing to look even close to tears in front of her. "I barely even know you."

"It's fine. It was actually fun," she said, beaming up at her.

Levi grunted from the doorway, popping the moment like a bubble.

Ymir quickly pushed her away again.

The next hour was a blur. Levi making tea, insisting she stay for a little bit, Krista politely declining, then changing her mind after a few hopeful looks from Ymir. Talking. Laughing. Levi picking up his cup only to have it shatter and spill tea all over the table. Cursing. A lot of trying to mop it up without success. More laughing. A bit of vomiting.

Finally, Ymir found herself standing at the door, looking at happy blue eyes, the stars and the dark silhouetting her. It was nearly ten o'clock.

"Are you sure you don't want a lift?" Levi asked for the twentieth time.

"I'm fire. My parents were actually glad I was getting out later. They're a bit worried about my social life." She laughed. "I didn't know you had a twin by the way Ymir, but it was a pleasure to meet him."

"I didn't know that Ymir had friends either."

"Levi!" She poked him in the stomach, and he doubled over. "Thank you again, for everything." Ymir could feel a little sick rising in her throat, but she pushed it down. Honestly she wasn't sure how she still had anything left to upchuck. "I'm sorry I think I'm gonna hurl again," she said, running off.

"Fantastic." Levi said, putting his head in his hands and shivering wildly. "I hate throwing up."

"It wouldn't bother you if I came back to finish the paint sometime, would it?"

"I think Ymir would rather like that," he said bluntly, looking to the side, off into the distance.

"What?" Krista gave him a surprised look. 

"Never mind," he replied. She didn't move, but the reddish tint to her face was enough to make him grin inwardly.

"Alright, well, goodnight Krista," Ymir said, returning to the door, albeit rather green.

"Goodnight." She smiled, then turned around and was swallowed by the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goddammit Levi, ruining moments and being clever. Hope you liked it, so far this chapter is my favourite :3
> 
> ~Zor


	4. Healing Process

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The days that come after Ymir getting sick.

The two days that followed were enjoyable, to say the least. As soon as school was out, instead of going home, Krista would drop by Ymir's house. The first day it was to "finish up the paint job," which took all of fifteen minutes, but the second day no explanation was given.

It wasn't really needed either.

In fact, there was no reason she wasn't at home right now. She should have been, at least, instead of bundled under a blanket and lying next to someone liable to hurl at any moment.

They were sitting on the couch in the kitchen in front of the TV. Levi was jerking the bunny ears back and forth, trying to catch a signal, and Ymir and Krista were draped over each other on the couch, their hands dangerously close. It could have been a coincidence, but either way, neither of them moved.

"There," Levi grunted, as the fuzzy picture suddenly became clear. He looked at his hands and noticed a thin layer of dust on them, before wiping them off on Ymir.

"Hey!" she said, lifting her head off of Krista's stomach. "D'you mind? I'm trying to watch Teletubbies here," she said, gesturing to the screen.

"It's not Teletubbies, it's Arthur," Levi said, sitting down at the kitchen table.

Ymir rolled her eyes. "Same difference." She put her hands under her neck and lay down again.

"That reminds me," Krista looked at her, "how's your stomach been doing?"

"If it means you'll be coming more often, it's hurting like a bitch."

Krista rolled her eyes. "Be serious."

"Better. I'm going to school tomorrow, though I probably have a crap ton of work to do." She sat up straight and leaned backwards into the couch, putting her legs behind Ymir's back, causing Ymir to shift uncertainly. She finally decided to nestle into the side of her thigh, her dark hair spilling over and into her lap.

"You girls seem to be getting comfortable," Levi remarked.

"Yeah yeah. You're just sore we're not letting you sit on the couch with us. Can we change the channel to something more.. y'know, not for six year olds?"

"No, but I can pull out a tape from the basement. I think there's some movies down there that'll still play," he said, his chair scratching the floor as he stood up.

"You want me to get one?" Krista asked. "I'm not exactly doing anything important right now."

"Nah, it's fine, you two look too comfortable for me to bother," he smirked. "Besides, I have just the perfect movie in mind." He disappeared through the basement door and down the stairs faster than either of them could protest.

"Crap, I'll bet he's gonna come up with some trashy comedy or a really terrible zombie flick," Ymir laughed. "Or maybe something to make us feel awkward." She could easily imagine him doing something like that.

Krista paled considerably at the zombie comment, making Ymir suddenly look concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, but it wasn't enough to convince her.

"Hey," she said, uncurling her body and sitting up. "C'mon, something's totally wrong. You gonna tell me or no?"

"It's just," she shuddered, "I have a lot of stupid fears. Including zombies, or really any kind of horror genre of movie."

"That's not a stupid fear." Ymir's eyebrows furrowed together. "In fact it's pretty hard to find a fear that is legitimately stupid."

"Heh. Yeah, but you don't know even a third of mine," she huffed through a broken grin.

Ymir moved closer to her. "C'mon, tell meee..." Their faces were barely an inch apart, and she swore she could have counted every freckle on her nose. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks, and her heartbeat pounded far too loudly in the background. One of Ymir's hands slipped into hers under the blanket, and long, spindly fingers from the other hand grazed the back of her neck.

"W,well.. I also have this thing, where I can't stand seeing my--" Krista cut herself off, she could hear Levi's heavy footsteps coming up the stairs, and she pulled away from Ymir suddenly.

"Hey, I.." His voice dwindled away when his eyes passed over where they were sitting. "Huh. Finally decided to sit up like human beings," he said, popping the tape into the VCR. "Works for me." He plopped down between them. He grinned mischievously at Ymir, and she mouthed _cockblocker_ at him, before picking up the remote and hitting play.

It was, surprisingly, not a zombie movie. Levi had instead figured The Incredibles was suitable for them to watch, and she found herself mentally questioning his sanity once again. Since the movie had certain adult jokes they hadn't understood as kids though, it worked out, and by the end of it their stomachs were sore from laughing so much.

"I told you so," he said, getting up and removing the cassette from the player.

"Alright, I admit, that wasn't terrible," she said, stretching her arms and putting one around Krista's shoulders. She flushed red and looked away. "Aw, what's the matter Krista, don't like hugs?" Ymir laughed, pulling her in and squeezing her tight as a joke. For a moment, even after she'd been released, she remained burrowed into her shoulder, smiling contentedly and taking in the smell of her shirt, before sitting up again.

*     *     *

Levi had already boiled water, and two cups of tea were steeping, the third one in his hand. It looked like that one was done, possibly even cool enough to drink. He held it from the top of the cup due to the incident two days ago, and his constantly scowling eyes stared at them over the brim.

"So you are coming to school tomorrow, right?" she inquired, abruptly changing the subject as she pulled out her chair.

"Didn't you already ask?"

"Refresh my memory." She grinned up at the taller girl.

"Yeah, course I will," she replied, rumpling her hair in an affectionate manner. Levi sipped at his tea and grinned from under the rim.

"What're you smiling about squirt?" his sister teased.

"Oh, nothing," he lied through his teeth, watching the other two subconsciously flirt. He took another sip. "Nothing that might concern you at all."

Ymir scowled at him, her eyes narrowing. "Knowing you, I highly doubt that. Anyways, I'm willing to take a huge risk here, if you two are up for it."

"What?" Krista cocked her head to the side.

"Well... you guys wanna play some Monopoly..?" She pulled a box off a shelf of games, grinning wildly.

Levi laughed. "The game that tears apart nations. Let's go losers!"

Money was distributed and the dice were rolled. Free parking became a crime, and an argument over whether they were playing with double hotels broke out. Somewhere in the midst of it all, Krista ended up lying draped over Ymir's shoulder, and Ymir's hands became tangled in her hair. 

Twirling a few strands around her finger, she smiled and wondered if maybe Jean had been right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I can't resist making Levi a clever bastard.
> 
> ~Zor


	5. Defensive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for this chapter. I feel like it's a shining turd, and I didn't really want to post it, but I kind of owe you guys for bothering to read this far anyways :P  
> Enjoy the chapter that's purely for character development.

Since Ymir'd been getting better, the two girls didn't see as much of each other. The days blended into weeks, and the constant pounding of school overwhelmed Krista, launching her into an unending battle between her need to sleep and work.

She hadn't really been thinking about her too much for a few other reasons as well, the main one being she'd had more than enough to do.

Without needing to sort out her conflicting feelings.

And besides, even if _she_ had conflicting feelings about Ymir, that didn't mean _Ymir_ had them for her. The memory of one hand gripped tightly in hers while the other one ran down her neck reared up in the back of her mind, before she stomped it out. Part of her hated it. Another part shivered with pleasure, wondering what else her hands could do.

She huffed out a long breath of air. She wasn't gay, she wasn't even bi as far as she knew, but her attraction had her teetering dangerously on the edge of chaos. With all the other stuff she'd been dealing with, this had to come and pop up now. Sighing, she pushed the door to the gym change room open and walked inside, dropping her bag heavily on the benches.

It was never quiet in the locker rooms, but the constant chatter ceased for a moment when she'd walked in, followed by a couple of indiscreet stares.

Rambling voices began as her mind raced in circles. She couldn't hear anything close to entire phrases, but whispers fell out of their hushed conversations like snakes, biting down on her newfound confidence. She turned her face away. The words didn't stop. She grabbed her clothes and walked into a bathroom stall, locking the door behind her, as though it could seal her away completely.

_Ugly..._

_Useless..._

_Better off without..._

Hot tears welled up in her eyes as she took off her shirt, but she refused to let them spill. She didn't know if it really was the other girls talking, or if it was all in her head now. She'd stopped caring a while ago, when the whisperings first started. This is what ending a friendship with a popular girl made you, it's not like she hadn't known it would happen. 

"Please don't do this to yourself."

The sudden phrase made her jump, though she wasn't entirely certain it was even directed at her.

"You don't have to hide in there all the time you know. They're wrong about you." The voice faltered a little, before continuing, slower now. "I'll bet they're only jealous. Really. The last word I would attach to you would be ugly."

It wasn't normal to hear voices coming out of nowhere, she was quite certain of that much. It was even less normal for someone to act like that though, specifically in such a public area, where anyone could hear it. Whatever the case, she was frozen with her gym shirt halfway over her head in the girls bathroom, listening intently for another sentence.

"I'm serious, you're beautiful," the voice said, before she heard a stall door to her left open and slam shut, leaving only the constant chatter of the other girls to fill her mind.

It didn't make sense that someone had just said that to her. Only one logical explanation came to mind as she tugged her shirt down and kicked open the stall. A few strands of raven hair disappeared out the door.

"Ymir!" she hissed, though it was doubtable anyone heard her above the rabble. She threw her clothes into her bag and bolted after her. "Ymir!"

The hallway was full, and she couldn't see anybody she knew. She staggered by people, tumbling into a few, before crashing into two large figures and falling over.

"Hey, watch it!" A somewhat large and gangly dirty-blond boy looked down at her. He looked fairly annoyed. A girl was clinging onto his arm, but her facial expression betrayed none of her thoughts.

"Well then," another boy said, stepping on to the scene. "It looks like you've found a little mouse Thomas." The second was also tall and blond, but he had a much more square frame, his muscles bulging under his shirt. "Kinda cute for a mouse." Krista picked up her bag and began to walk away when he grabbed her arm.

"Reiner, cut it." A dark haired boy stood behind him, trembling slightly. He wasn't actually shorter, but he didn't seem half as large as the others. He looked as though his entire body could have been made of knees, wobbly ones at that. His hands were pressed against each other nervously as though he were praying, and already a thin line of sweat beaded his face. Each finger rhythmically tapped his palm every few seconds.

"Aw, but she didn't even say sorry yet for bumping into me," he said, his grin widening. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing wandering all alone?" he asked, pulling her arm up a little.

"Reiner--"

"If you don't like it Berthold, take the other two and leave," he growled. Berthold looked concerned, but he didn't move.

"Asshole," Krista murmured. Finally seeming to have made up his mind, Berthold tried to grab Annie by the arm and pull her away with Thomas. She shook him off with a frown, and he shrank a little. Looking confused and dejected, he turned and melted into the crowd, pushing people over in his haste to get away.

Reiner put his lips next to her ear. "So then, how do you want to pay me back?" he whispered, smiling at her.

"Ugh! You absolute creep--!" She looked over his shoulder and paused mid-insult, causing him to turn around as well. His reaction was still too slow however to avoid Ymir's foot as it crashed into his jaw. Dropping Krista like a hot stone, he staggered a few feet, howling and clutching at his face. A small circle of onlookers was forming, shifting uncertainly. 

"Get.. out of here," she huffed. "I'll be fine." Jean came running down the corridor after her.

Krista couldn't so much as move when Ymir spoke, she couldn't even think.

"I said go!" she yelled, and she scrambled to her feet and down the hallway.

Ymir turned to face Reiner again. He has a good eight inches on her in height, but she knew she was fast enough to outwit him. The only thing that might be a problem was if he managed to catch her.

In which case she was definitely going to need backup.

"Jean, go find Levi," she hissed. "He's only down the hall in your change room room I think."

"But--"

"Now!"

Reiner let go of his jaw now and bared his teeth at her. "You're gonna pay for that, twit," he growled, lunging forward. Ymir easily sidestepped him and kicked him in the ass. The crowd gave an  _whoof_ of surprise and awe, a few people cheering them on, and the noise made more people gather around.

"This should be interesting." Annie smiled. Next to her, Thomas shuddered a little, and she patted his leg reassuringly.

His face flushed red, and he charged like a bull, all rage and no thought. Standing like a deer in the headlights, she stood frozen, before jumping out of the way at the last moment. He crashed into the wall, and the whole building seemed to tremble. The circle widened until it was two crowds, one at each end of the hallway. No one was eager to get hit.

Reiner turned around, arms outstretched, and jumped at her again. This time she wasn't so lucky, and her leg got caught in the blow, making her falter a moment. It was all he needed to pin her up against the lockers, and she couldn't move enough to break free. Instead she kicked his legs out from under him, sending them both crashing to the floor.

"You - _hhhff_ \- little shitbag." Ymir stood and balled her fists menacingly. "You keep your hands off her," she hissed through clenched teeth.

Reiner pulled back his lips and displayed his teeth like a wild dog. It could have been called a smile, but something was fundamentally wrong about it, giving him a crooked look. "What was I doing that was so wrong?" he asked innocently. His sneer contorted more, it went past his ears but didn't reach his eyes somehow. "Didn't know you had a thing for  _girls._ "

Ymir could hear blood rushing past her ears and into her cheeks. A couple wolf-whistles echoed through the rest of the noise. Snarling, she swung her fists madly at him, to a chorus of half whooping and half jeers. The crowd parted for Reiner as he stepped back, laughing at her attempts to hit him. Her anger made her slow and clumsy, and he caught her arm in his hand easily.

It felt like her bones were being slowly crushed together in his grip. He wrenched her to the floor, where she writhed trying to escape. A few watchers stepped forward to stop him, but they were only pushed back into the fray as a mad dog chorus of shouting broke out.

He let go of her arm and she instinctively pulled it close to her body, shielding it from further damage. She shuddered as he beat her down, one well placed kick after the other, until she couldn't take it anymore and rolled over in submission. The kicks didn't stop, while screams and stomping rolled like thunder through her ears.

A  _clang_ filled the hallway, and suddenly the whole scene quieted. Ymir glanced upwards through her hands, to see Reiner motionless with a shocked expression on his face, a trickle of blood oozing down his cheek before he fell forward. Levi was standing behind him, a fire extinguisher in his hands.

"Do I reallyneed to do everything myself?" His cold eyes jerked downwards to where she was lying, and he extended an arm to help her up. She ignored it, brushing herself off. Jean was standing a good distance behind him, eyes open in white hot panic.

Reiner groaned from the ground, and Levi walked towards him. The crowd remained completely silent and moved aside, letting him through easily. He lifted his foot and kicked him in the side of the head, sending him sprawling across the floor. Bright red stained the ceramic tiles. He picked him up by the hair and held him right in front of his face.  An unpleasant streak of blood covered the right side of his face, most of it coming from his nose, and he babbled like an idiot.

"Some situations need words to be sorted out," he said, his face deliberate and calm.

"This is not one of those situations, unluckily enough for you."

Levi dropped his head again, allowing it to smash against the floor before kicking him in the ribs a few times. Reiner whimpered something from underneath his feet, but it went ignored. The dry whump of Levi's boot hitting his chest and an occasional grunt was the only noise in the hallway.

After a minute, Levi seemed to get bored, and motioned to Ymir. "C'mon. We're getting out of here." He looked back at the shaking figure on the floor and turned away without a hint of emotion. Silent onlookers stared from Reiner to the other two as they marched past, but nobody reached out to stop them or say something. 


End file.
